The Cactus Course Outlines provide a learning framework for the Cactus Foreign Language Evening Courses. They are designed to provide you with a good idea of what you might cover over a 10-week period, and include typical themes, grammar and vocabulary fields. They are flexible rather than prescriptive, in that our teachers may decide to adapt their learning plans to the specific level, aims and interests of their classes. Use the tabs below to view the relevant Norwegian course outline for your level.
Norwegian Beginner 1
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Introducing yourself and others
- Greetings and goodbyes
- Asking basic questions
- The Norwegian alphabet
- Numbers
- Telling the time
- Asking for and giving information about family and work
- Buying and ordering food and drink
- Talking about likes and dislikes
- Asking for and giving directions
- Talking about leisure activities
- Describing things and places
Grammar:
- Modals and present tense verbs
- Personal pronouns
- Indefinite and definite form of nouns
- Indefinite form of plural nouns
- Basic prepositions
- Word order
Cultural Content:
- Norwegian traditions
- Norwegian culture
- Norway: country and climate
- Live and work in Norway
- Bokmål, Riksmål, Nynorsk, Høgnorsk, standard Østnorsk, dialects
Skills Work:
- Speaking activities such as giving basic information about yourself and others and ordering food and drinks
- Basic pronunciation, for example long and short vowels
- Writing practice such as emails and postcards
- Listening exercises
Norwegian Beginner 2
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Making a phone call
- Asking for help and clarification
- Talking about future plans
- Buying food, clothes, etcetera
- Making requests
- Expressing likes, dislikes and preferences
- Talking about everyday life and routines
- Talking about how you feel
- Describing people and places
Grammar:
- The infinitive form of verbs
- Basic adjective forms
- Personal pronouns: object form
- Time and place adverbs
- Relative pronoun “som”
Cultural Content:
- Formal and informal greetings
- Opening hours in Norway
- The Royal family
- Living and working in Norway
Skills Work:
- Speaking activities such as making phone calls and going shopping
- Pronunciation rules
- Plenty of listening exercises
- Writing practice such as short messages, emails and notes
Norwegian Beginner 3
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Talking about past events
- Describing people and places
- Expressing wishes
- Talking about work and professional background
- Scheduling meetings
- Expressing feelings
- Expressing opinions
- Talking about places you have visited
- Giving instructions
Grammar:
- Indefinite and definite plural forms
- The past form of verbs
- Regular and irregular verb forms
- Reflexive verbs
- Simple past and present perfect
- Simple conjunctions
- Compounds
Cultural Content:
- Education in Norway
- Norwegian at work
- Norwegian slang
Skills Work:
- Speaking activities such as talking about work and leisure
- Pronunciation
- Plenty of listening activities
- Writing practice for example emails, text messages and writing a CV
Norwegian Elementary 1
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Talking about working life
- Expressing opinions and beliefs
- Asking for and giving information
- Making suggestions and giving advice
- Discussing events and accidents
- Talking about news stories
- Talking about past experiences
- Comparing
Grammar:
- Noun form review
- Revision of verb forms
- Prepositions
- Indefinite and definite forms of adjectives
- Adjectives: comparative and superlative
- Possessive pronouns
- Adverbs
Cultural Content:
- Cultural differences
- Health and safety in Norway
- Norwegian nature and wildlife
Skills Work:
- Speaking activities such as discussions and talking about news stories
- Pronunciation
- Plenty of listening activities
- Writing practice for example letters and emails
Norwegian Elementary 2
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Asking and listening for specific information
- Presenting thoughts and opinions
- Stating points of view in a discussion
- Talking about how you live
- Informal and formal conversations
- Abbreviations
- Motivating choices
- Encouraging and persuading
Grammar:
- Verb and noun form : review
- The present participle
- Word families
- Reported speech
- The passive
- Abbreviations
- Prepositions of time and place
Cultural content:
- Norwegian newspapers
- Norwegian etiquette
- Norwegian people
- The Sami and other minorities
Skills Work:
- Speaking activities such as discussing current events
- Pronunciation
- Plenty of listening activities
- Writing practice for example emails, CV and letters
Norwegian Elementary 3
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Giving reasons and explaining opinions
- Asking for clarification and information
- Talking about books and films
- Describing experiences and feelings
- Comparing ideas
- Talking about hopes and ambitions
Grammar:
- Phrasal verbs
- Relative pronouns
- Word families
- Comparatives and superlatives
- Adverbs
Cultural Content:
- Food in Norway
- The Norwegian government
- Working life in Norway
Skills Work:
- Speaking activities such as retelling factual texts, giving presentations on familiar topics
- Pronunciation
- Plenty of listening activities
- Writing practice for example reviews, letters and emails
